1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shaving razors, and more particularly relates to an improved safety razor shaving apparatus.
2. General Background and State of the Art
Manual safety razors have typically been based upon the addition of some type of guard adjacent to an edge of a cutting blade. The early single-edge safety razor, having a steel blade with a guard along one edge, and the double-edged razor with a replaceable stainless steel blade presented the risk of accidental cuts from handling of the blades. Such manual razors must be aligned and drawn precisely in a straight direction across the skin of the user, at an appropriate angle in order to be effective. Modern cartridge-style razors injector blades, designed to fit into disposable plastic handles, can be handled more safely, and can be used effectively with less precision. Such injector blade cartridges are available with single or multiple parallel blades presented on one side of the razor. However, such razors still must be aligned and drawn carefully across the user's skin to provide effective shaving.
Electric razors provide a shearing head driven by a small motor, typically having an outer section with a series of slots to grip hairs, and an inner series of cutting blades. While electric razors with reciprocating blades typically need to be aligned and drawn carefully in a direction of shaving along a user's skin, electric razors with one or more rotary blades allow the razor to be held by the user and drawn in any direction and in a straight or circular motion as may be desired along the user's skin. However, such rotary electric razors require a source of electric power, either to operate the razor directly or to charge a battery of the razor, and have expensive head and blade cartridges that require maintenance and periodic replacement. It would therefore be desirable to provide a manually operable safety razor that does not require electrical power for operation, that provides that advantages of a rotary razor in allowing the razor to be held by the user and drawn in any direction and in any motion as may be desired along the user's skin. The present invention satisfies these and other needs.